Deflating Brewers injury could ruin the Cubs' 2026 trade deadline plans

It remains to be seen if it slows them down, but the Milwaukee Brewers are battling a recent wave of pitching injuries that will feel all too familiar to Chicago Cubs fans.

Jacob Misiorowski skipped his final first-half start due to fatigue, but is set to open his first half opposite former Brewers teammate Freddy Peralta on Monday, saying he feels 'normal' and the rest helped a lot. Even so, I'm sure the team is keeping a close eye on the big right-hander, who regularly sits north of 100 MPH and is about as big of a high-effort arm that the game has today.

If the Brewers were to lose him for any significant stretch of time, it would be a huge loss as Milwaukee looks to lock down the NL Central for a fourth-straight season. But even with Misiorowski healthy, Pat Murphy's team is running well below full-strength.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison has been out since early July with left forearm tightness. He's been a revelation since coming over in the Caleb Durbin trade with Boston and has given the Brewers a dominant 1-2 punch atop the rotation. All signs point to him returning soon, but the news isn't as positive for longtime veteran Brandon Woodruff.

Brandon Woodruff injury has direct implications for Jed Hoyer, Cubs

Woodruff will undergo a second shoulder surgery soon, ending his 2026 season after just nine starts, and leaving a major hole in the Milwaukee rotation. The Brewers were already rumored to be a potential fit for a big trade deadline addition to the rotation, and given recent developments, could be ready to play spoiler in the Cubs' hopes to shore up their own injury-weakened staff.

I don't expect Chicago to be involved in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes should Detroit move the Cy Young winner, but names like Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan and Logan Webb (among others) all make sense. You could easily make the case that many of them also fit with the Brewers, but regardless, Milwaukee looks highly likely to be very active in the same area as the Cubs in the coming weeks.

More competition equals higher asking prices. Will Jed Hoyer push his chips in and leverage prospects with no clear path to everyday playing time at the big-league level to add impact arms - even if it means an overpay to get a deal across the finish line? That's what he'll have to do if he wants the Cubs to knock off Milwaukee or, at the very least, get another crack at them come October.

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